A variety of gas/fluid or fluid/fluid mixing devices have been devised wherein a venturi is employed with different types of air or fluid injectors and mixers. The prior art devices are predominantly applicable to small fluid flows containing suspended solids of a relatively small size or no suspended solids at all. The devices can mix a fluid with another fluid, or a gas (typically air) with a fluid. They are predominantly applicable to treatment systems for water and industrial wastewater, but not to sanitary sewage and industrial wastewaters containing relatively large sized suspended solids. The devices lack the ability of preventing plugging by suspended solids and removal of suspended solids which accumulate in the devices. The devices typically employ a built-in venturi throat of fixed dimension or size which reduces its scope of application, and can not be readily replaced when worn out.
The efficiency of prior art gas or liquid aspiration and mixing with a carrier fluid is low, which results in high energy consumption and initial costs.
It is therefore an object of this invention to overcome the problems of plugging by large sized suspended solids. The present invention lends itself to applications in high fluid flow rates, and has a superior ability of mixing gas or fluid with a carrier fluid, and has a high overall efficiency and low energy demand. Further, a removable inlet constricting liner should increase the present device's operating range and life span.